Opportunities to Improve the Role of Family Practice Nurses in Increasing the Uptake of Evidence-Based Smoking Cessation Interventions for Pregnant Women: An Exploratory Survey

Abstract

Background: Approximately 6-30% of Canadian women smoke during pregnancy. Prenatal care visits are an opportune time for Family Practice Nurses to provide evidence-based smoking cessation interventions. The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe: 1) Smoking cessation interventions by Family Practice Nurses during prenatal visits; 2) Family Practice Nurses' awareness and use of smoking cessation guidelines as well as the proportion of Family Practice Nurses who engage pregnant women who smoke in minimal interventions and intensive interventions; 3) the predictors of nurse-provided smoking cessation counseling for pregnant women and 4) the barriers to smoking cessation counseling.